New Delhi: Several intellectuals and political leaders have demanded that the Central Government make caste enumeration mandatory in the nationwide Census and assign a separate ‘Unique Code’ to every caste. They made it clear that the Census process should be halted until a nationwide consensus is reached on this issue.

A national OBC conference was held on Sunday at Telangana Bhavan with the principal demand of “Caste Enumeration in the Census – A Unique Code for Every Caste.” The conference was chaired by former IAS officer and Chairman of the BC Intellectual Forum T. Chiranjeevulu, and Dr. G. Kiran Kumar, President of the All India OBC Students Association.

Rajya Sabha MP Wilson, former Minister V. Srinivas Goud, AICC OBC Department Chairman Anil Jaihind, Swaraj India leader Professor Yogendra Yadav, Professor Ratan Lal, Professor Suraj Mandal, BC Political Front’s Balagoni Balaraj Goud, S. Durgayya Goud, and others participated in the conference.

The speakers criticized the proposal to conduct caste enumeration without assigning a separate unique code to every caste, stating that such a process would not be scientifically sound. They demanded that, just as separate columns are provided for SCs and STs, separate columns should also be created for OBCs and the General Category.

They further demanded that a Unique Code be assigned to every caste through a standardized drop-down menu before the Census process is initiated.

MP Wilson, Prof. Yogendra Yadav, Dr. Suraj Mandal warned that approximately ₹12,800 crore of public money being spent by the Central Government would go to waste if the Census is conducted merely as a formality without proper scientific planning.

They urged the government to immediately implement a transparent and scientific methodology that ensures the accurate enumeration and recording of every caste.

The leaders warned that if the Central Government proceeds stubbornly without considering their legitimate demands, they would build a widespread nationwide public movement to fight for these demands.